Farewell to Leaderboards

Effective immediately, the Halo 2 Xbox Live Leaderboards are no longer being displayed on Bungie.net. Player rankings and stats are untouched and nothing else has changed.

As we first mentioned two weeks ago, the Halo 2 Leaderboards are officially gone from Bungie.net. This is something we've discussed at length for quite a while and ultimately we feel that the Leaderboards are not worth keeping. Unfortunately the leaderboards ended up being a shrine for cheaters and hackers and for the most part did nothing but cause legitimate players pain.
We don't have the resources to manually investigate and monitor every single player on the Leaderboards nor do we feel that is warranted. That is time and energy better spent on creating new playlists and making the core online experience better for everyone. Keep in mind that only a tiny percentage of actual players are affected by the Leaderboards - only 1,000 of several hundred thousand ever make the list. The amount of work required to cater to this small minority compared to the overall return for the community just isn't worth it.
We sincerely apologize to the few players out there who have played hundreds of legitimate games to work your way up the leaderboards. You will still keep your rankings and your stats as a token of your l337 skillz. Unfortunately the reality is that the vast majority of people who do appear on the leaderboards have only got there through some form of cheating.
Your rankings and player stats will remain unchanged and there will be no noticeable difference in Halo 2 other than the absence of the "Top 1000" lists on the Bungie.net stats page.

Halo 2 is played by a LOT of people. That means a LOT of statistics. We broke out and broke down some numbers. Some are predictable, some are scary and some are completely surprising. Come inside and see for yourself.

So the Humpday Challenge has been offline for a while. but now it's back. With a vengeance. This week, we took on random suckers in three taut games of Team Snipers. But next week, it could be YOU in our crosshairs!

Site downtime Thursday morning

Thursday morning at about 10:30am PDT bungie.net will be unavailable for 30 to 60 minutes while we make some database changes and update the site's code.

We'll be updating bungie.net with some stability fixes, some performance fixes, and some other changes. Most of the changes you won't notice, but there are a few major ones:
[*]The profanity filter has been altered for performance reasons - the upshot is that if you use a naughty word and try and break it up with formating tag in a vain hope of bypassing the filter, you'll find all of your formatting tags stripped.
[*]You'll also see the return of the "Most Popular Forum Thread" sidebar item.
[*]Group admins will be happy to know that they'll be able to type in the name of a blacklisted user to jump directly to that user's entry rather than having to find their name in a list.
[*]Group admins will also find a new admin tool available for those with the "Group Settings" security bit set - the Group History viewer. The system will keep track of certain important actions, like security role changes and member additions and removals, and display them to you. Veteran users will recognize it as a reincarnation of the old fanclub activity log, but with a focus on group security.
[*]Of course, there were a bunch of little bug fixes here and there, such as Internal Server Error from the stat RSS feeds, as well as a fix to the automatic thread locking feature that wasn't completely locking some old threads.

Job Openings

We're still looking for talented, qualified individuals to join our team and help further our goals of World Domination. If you are an Engineer, Artist or Designer (or know someone who is), check out our current [url=http://www.bungie.net/Inside/Page.aspx?section=Jobs&subsection=Main&page=1]job openings.[/url]

Creating kickass games and taking over the world is hard work and we need some help. Bungie Studios is looking for qualified folks to join our team in the areas of Engineering, Design and Art.
In addition to being a part of our team and creating amazing things you'll be able to enjoy our new state-of-the-art command center in the quaint town of Kirkland, Washington.
Head over to our [url=http://www.bungie.net/Inside/Page.aspx?section=Jobs&subsection=Main&page=1]jobs[/url] page for a full listing of all available positions and requirements.

Everything You Wanted to Know About the Pelican...

Steven Loftus over at Halo.Bungie.Org has created a very, very in-depth look at the UNSC Pelican spacecraft You can go check out waaay too much information at this link:
[url=http://nikon.bungie.org/misc/sloftus_pelicandropship/]Pelican Overview[/url]

And remember, some of this stuff is Steven's own gap-filling-in, as opposed to technically correct canon, but it's nifty anyway.

You can read about the contest and view some of the awesome entries here: [url=http://hboff.bungie.org/viewtopic.php?t=2555]117 Words Winners and Worthy Contenders[/url]
The entries range from sad, to funny, to frightening to just plain bizarre, and with very few exceptions, they are wonderful pieces and make for excellent reading. Entries come from all over the Halo community. There’s even one from Halo fictioneer Eric Trautmann (who edited our Artbook, the Halo novels and a multitude of other stuff). Halo-related prizes are being sent to the winners shortly.
But there’s a twist in this tale. You see, Stuntmutt, one of the organizers, asked yours truly to add a submission to help drum up popularity for the contest. Had I known then what I know now, I’d have done it with the caveat that mine was [i]“for example only.”[/i] Because, heh, cough, I actually won…. The quorum (allegedly) stripped the authors’ names before submitting the entries to a panel of judges and according to Stuntmutt, the judging was blind.
So I officially declare my entry moot, and award whatever I get to the worthiest next-contender, to be decided by the beautiful Stuntmutt and the talented Jillybean. And I still reckon this is an elaborate early April Fool’s. And to be honest, there were LOADS better entries than mine. Stan’s in particular made me laugh out loud.

Frankie is out sick so I began writing on his behalf only to have his version arrive moments before we went live. The result is a double feature with twice as much update lovin. Read about a few minor bits of news and the latest on Frankie's ailing health...

Fake Halo 3 Script

The alleged Halo 3 script doing the internet rounds in PDF form is either fake, or the fanfic of a dedicated Halo fan being passed off as real, so we won’t pass judgment here on this public forum, other than to say that it has nothing to do with Bungie or Joseph Staten, to whom it is attributed.

As ever, we will tell you what our next project is when we are good and ready. Avast!

Mighty Joe Staten has some very, very, very big news about the Halo movie. News so large that mere secrecy cannot contain it. It's time for us to share the fact that the Halo movie will rock. Guaranteed.

Game Informer published a story on its website CLAIMING that a Halo-related character was going to be hidden away in Team Ninja’s upcoming Dead Or Alive 4 for the Xbox 360. Well, we often respond to rumors with immediate denials, but not this time…

1st 2old2play Over 40 Invitational

In a rare and much anticipated HALO 2 Tournament, a gathering of 40 year olds (that’s right, there are 40 year olds playing XBOX) joined together at [url=http://www.2old2play.com]2old2play.com[/url], decided to rumble it out to crown the “World’s best 40 year old HALO 2 Player!”

Though the immediate thought that comes to mind is Ben-gay, Geritol and Maalox, this group of skilled players demonstrated that they have more than what it takes to compete amongst themselves, as well as the ”timmies” (terminology used to describe the 25 and under video gamers) of the world.
Organized by the self-proclaimed world-titlist, Dantez Inferno, the seniors, organized, meleed, sniped, and laughed there way through, multiple rounds of mayhem and carnage. Eager entrants shuffled to enroll from, New England, Hawaii, and as far away as the UK. After sorting out conflicting schedules, due to work, soccer practice, lawn duty and PTA meetings, the tournament was scheduled over three nights consisting of 16 players. “Remember when we could play any night because we could stay up all night, sleep an hour or two (if at all) then go to work and it wouldn't bother us at all. Those days are gone...!” posted Beeman110 a tournament finalist.
Each round 8 players competing in 4 individual rounds of XBOX Live generated rumble pit, with the top 4 finishers (determined by the sum of total kills) advancing to the finals on, Tuesday, September 27th.
Competitive warm-up rounds provided the most intense games initially, all 16 combatants running through the close-knit quarters of Midship, Foundation and Lockout led to mass hysteria. Georgia native, “Too Gray” summed it this way. “It was lots of fun especially the practice rounds on the small maps though it was hard to move without taking it from both ends. Took me 2 games to realize my sensitivity was set on 1. WTF no wonder I couldn't turn around!
The final 8 participants all gathered together for 4 final rounds to see who would take home the prize. For their efforts, the winner received a prize package that included Xbox 360 and the 2006 lineup of EA Sports games, NOT! One Bad Daddy requested” Perhaps the prize should be a coupon to Lens Crafters for some new glasses so I can see you $(@%’s coming! The premise really was to get together a group of peers, dish it out and take it, and make future alliances and contacts for XBOX Live play.
All in all, the entire tournament was a smashing success. So won you may ask. Everyone in the first monthly senior’s invitational!
For the video feed, check out the full article on [url=http://www.2old2play.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=127&mode=nested&order=0&thold=0]2old2play.com[/url]

Bungie.net Chapter Tournament

The idea has been around for awhile to set up a Halo 2 tournament between the chapters of bungie.net over xbox live and the idea has finally been made a reality. The first tournament will consist of 8 chapters but the next one and all of them after will include 32 chapters. If your chapter wants to sign up you can in the septagon [url=http://bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=4942222]here[/url].

Chapters sign up to play in the Chapter Tournament the brackets will be set up.I'll randomly select who plays who.Also the gametypes by which each bracket plays by will be randomly predetermined.
Alright. Let's get with the rules:
[*]Teams of 4 people only (yes, I realize picking a team of 4 in chapters of 1000 people is going to be hard)
[*]Once I match you guys up, you have to talk to each other and organize when you're going to play.
[*]Because of the rule I just listed, It is imperative that you organize a team and make sure your team is up to this [b]BEFORE[/b] you sign up. If you back out of this after you're signed up, you could be hurting another team besides yours (If anyone knows how to manage a bracket if one team drops out, please message me)
[*]Chapters like "Mjolnir Battle Tactics" and "Mjolnir Battle Tactics Council" are [b]NOT[/b] different groups.
[*]You cannot be on more than one team. Duh.
[*]When the game is played, send me a message saying who won. I'm gonna depend on you guys to be good sports and not pull me into an argument over who won or which game counted for the tournament. If you lose, it doesn't look good when you can't accept it.
[*]Games that aren't the specified gametype will be thrown out, and you'll be requested to play another game.
Now, go ask your chapters to see if they're interested. If you want to do it, go ahead and post your chapter name and the members that are participating in the septagon thread [url=http://bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=4942222]here[/url]
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[b]Tournament 1[/b]- Due to the fact that this is still a new idea the first tourney will only have 8 chapters in and after that we'll add more and more until we get up to 32 chapters at a time. The first 8 chapters that sign up now are the ones that go into the first tourney. Remember before you sign up please have a team of [b]4[/b] people organized and ready to play.
*Notes-
[*]Clans cannot represent Chapters unless only 4 people from the clan play.
[*]The Chapter that wins is automatically secured a spot in the next tourney to defend there title.

H=MC² - Halo News Podcast

[url=http://podcast.halochat.net]H=MC² [/url] is a podcast that, unlike [url=http://www.podtacular.com]Podtacular[/url], focuses on the Halo web community, rather than the strategies, gameplay advice, etc. that other Halo-based podcasts provide...

[url=http://podcast.halochat.net]H=MC² [/url] is a podcast that, unlike [url=http://www.podtacular.com]Podtacular[/url], focuses on the Halo web community, rather than the strategies, gameplay advice, etc. that other Halo-based podcasts provide...
[url=http://podcast.halochat.net]H=MC² [/url] usually talks about the latest big news (Bungie news), regular news (HBO), tricking news (HIH), and the movies of the week. They will also take user submissions - if the listeners want something to get onto the show.
There is also usually at least one weekly guest - previous guests have included Alexander Winn from The Codex, Stuntmutt from the One One Se7en comic, and more. Other big names in the community are planned for the future.
If you enjoy chatting on Halo forums/chat rooms, and keeping up with the latest Halo news - H=MC² is a must-have. It is also quite useful for people who are unable to keep up with the latest news and want to catch up easily, and in an entertaining way.
So what are you waiting for? Visit [url=http://podcast.halochat.net]H=MC²[/url] now - and if you have any questions/comments/submissions, let us know!

Video Games Live: Dates Added!

Video Games Live is a concert featuring a full orchestra, with choir, playing just video game music. The first one was a huge hit. Halo was the first thing requested when they asked for requests for the audience. Due to it's large success, many more tour dates have recently been added. And it's likely that there's one near you.

Click [url=http://www.videogameslivetickets.com/main.html]here[/url] to see all the dates and locations. Find one near you and go.
Unfortunately, there is no venue or date near this contributor. :-(

Halo Stuff Goes Mobile

Microsoft has signed a deal with French publisher In-Fusio to make Halo-themed ringtones, graphics and other mobile media for mobile phones. Although no games have been announced at this time, In-Fusio would have the rights to publish a cellphone Halo game should Microsoft decide to produce one.

In-Fusio already had licensing rights to other cellphone versions of Microsoft products including "Zoo Tycoon 2" and "Age of Empires II."
The first project from the In-Fusio deal should be here around December, and will be a "portal" site offering Halo-themed wallpapers, screensavers, ringtones and the like, for mobile phones.
And we've only been asking Marty for a Halo ringtone for oh, five years now....

Halo Movie Fans Create Site

For at least a year now there have been rumors about a Halo Movie wherever you looked. Now that rumor has turned to fact, a few fans of Bungie and the awesome story they created in Halo: Combat Evolved decided it was time to give the so called Halo Movie Fans a real home. That home is [url=http://www.halomovieonline.com]www.halomovieonline.com[/url].

There are many people in the Bungie.net, and extended Bungie community, who have dreamt of Bungie making a Halo Movie. It started on B.net as a thread in The Underground, and that thread drew more responses than anyone could have anticipated. That thread died however, and for a time word of a Halo Movie was lost, drowned out in the excitement about Bungie's next game.
There were those who still dreamed however, and one of them, who calls himself [i]mustafaibqal[/i], created a new thread dedicated to gathering people to the cause of convincing Bungie to make a Halo Movie. It quickly grew into the most active thread B.net has ever seen, constantly on the front page as the "Most Popular Thread", and getting dozens of replies a day. It was so successful that Zog34, one of the oldest Halo movie fans, around from the days of the first thread on B.net, created the group titled the "Halo Movie Clan" a little more than one year ago. It's goal was to gather enough members to show Bungie that creating a Halo Movie was not in vain. Its numbers swelled, from 50, to 200, to 500, to 1000, to 1700, its growth unmatched by any other group on B.net.
Time passed, what rumors there were grew stale, until one day Bungie themselves let slip that Alex Garland had written a script based on Halo. The purpose of the HMC now fulfilled it closed, much to the disappointment of its members. We created other groups to replace it, we even managed to re-open it, however we could not regain the majesty of what it once was. And now, again, a single fan with the desire to contribute to the community, who calls himself mmeadwolfe, bought the domain name, and created the website we now know as [url=http://www.halomovieonline.com]halomovieoline.com[/url]. There anyone and everyone can get together and share their hopes, dreams, ideas, and opinions on the upcoming "Halo Movie" in a forum all their own, on a site where they have a say in what goes on.
So come visit us at [url]http://www.halomovieonline.com[/url]! The forum is fully operational and open to all. Our news is as up to date as humanly possible, covering the latest rumors and facts as they come forward. And for those slow times between Bungie updates, you can also talk about Halo, Halo 2, "Halo 3", the novels, Cortana's "rampant" behavior, you name it, we got it!
We still need people with web design skills who can help us mold the site into something all Halo Movie fans would be proud to call home, so if you think you have the time and skill we need stop by and let us know, we would be happy to have you!

Halo-Critique.com

Ever saw a Halo/Halo 2 type movie that was totally awesome or was horrible? Did you ever feel like you wanted to give your own opinions on it? Well now you can with [url=http://www.halocritique.com/]Halo Critique[/url]!

Ever saw a Halo/Halo 2 type movie that was totally awesome or was horrible? Did you ever feel like you wanted to give your own opinions on it? Well now you can with [url=http://www.halocritique.com/]Halo Critique[/url]!
Halo Critique was started by HitmanofGod, (Co-Founder/Member of [url=http://www.treeskunk.com]Treeskunk[/url]). He has worked hard over the past few days and the Community is slowly growing. Still there are some problems with the original site, but the forums are still available. With help from Vmaster31, Site Admins of [url=http://www.halotv.net]HaloTV[/url], [url=http://glitchinthebox.com]GITB.com[/url], and many more was more then welcomed to lend a helping hand with the website. Well hopefully it won't take to long to get the site up, on the [url=http:///www.http://www.halocritique.com/forums/]Forums[/url] and be active!

Fight the Flood Update!

We've officially sold approximately 10,817 [url=http://www.bungiestore.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=7&idproduct=322]Fight the Flood[/url] shirts, amounting to $162,255 in funds for the American Red Cross! Once the remaining shirts are sold we will be calling an end to this fund raising initiative. Thank you to everyone who has chipped in to help the victims of hurricane Katrina.

In the wake of hurricane Katrina and the massive disaster that struck the gulf region of the U.S., the Halo community rallied and in a few short weeks has raised over $162,000 to aid in relief efforts. We have sold close to 11,000 shirts since the program started.
As Halo fans, we have come together in this time of need to make a real difference - together we've raised a significant amount of money that will go directly to the Red Cross and be used to help families rebuild and recover after losing so much.
Once the remaining inventory is sold we'll be officially calling an end to the "Fight the Flood" campaign. While there is obviously still much work to be done in the Gulf region, we are thrilled at the contribution we will be able to make and we feel it's now time for us to return to our normal business. Of course there are still plenty of things you can do to provide further assistance so please contact the American Red Cross or local relief agencies for ways you can help.
As of this morning, there were still quite a few shirts left in a variety of sizes so if you haven't purchased one yet, there's still time! Head over to the Bungie Store and pickup your [url=http://www.bungiestore.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=7&idproduct=322]shirt[/url] before they're all gone.
We'd like to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone out there who has supported us through this program and helped us make a positive difference in the lives of many people. We also want to thank our partners at Sunrise Identity - they turned our idea into reality in less than 24 hours and none of this would have been possible without the hard work of their entire team.